Julie's Journal

I’ve been having a blast with my new XShot2.0 that Drew gave me at Blog World Expo. When I pull it out to take pictures with it all I hear is, “OMG…where did you get that?” Everyone seems to really think it’s a cool idea, and they are super surprised when I tell them it’s only $29.95. Your camera just screws on the end of it, then you use the self timer feature.

Here I am showing Michael Brito how to use it, and here is the end result picture. He was stoked about it, so Drew gave him his last one.

The XShot extends out to 37 inches, and closes to 9 inches. It’s small enough to carry around in my bag with my camera so I can have it with me where ever I go. I tried to get this shot of these home theater sconces at the place we were the other night, but they came out really blurry. You really need a steady hand to use this.

Here I am taking a picture of myself from above.

And Michael and Jon taking pictures from below.

It’s a pretty cool toy, and I’m happy that I finally got one to play around with. I just need to practice keeping my hand steady.

[tags]XShot, XShotpix.com, camera, photography, pictures[/tags]

I currently have a 24″ wide screen Dell monitor that I hook up to my laptop while I am home. I have Woopra, Tweet Deck, and Pidgin running on it, and all my browsing and writing is done on my laptop screen.

I know it might seem like overkill to some, but I could really use another monitor. I want one just for Woopra, since the application is large and I’d like to maximize it, so I can see all the components in 1440×900 resolution. And not to mention all the neat apps I saw at Blog World Expo I’d like to run. I’m just a geek, and the bigger/more the better.

The best Weekly Deal on Buy.com this week is the ViewSonic VA1926W 19″ Widescreen LCD Monitor. It’s listed for $169.00 bucks and they have free shipping. WOW that’s a nice price! Remember when they were over $500 bucks? I totally should get this now.

Features

• Fast 5ms video response delivers superior picture clarity
• Full 19″ viewable widescreen
• 1440×900 native resolution
• 2000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• Stylish slim-bezel design
• OptiSync digital/analog inputs expand your connectivity
• OSD/power lock secures your settings
• OnView controls for superior screen adjustability
• Windows Vista certified

Make sure to check out the Weekly Deal sale on Buy.com every week. They have great deals on all kinds of electronic items like external hard drives, USB flash drives, GPS units, and hi-def digital camcorders. They even feature diamond necklaces, DVD’s and software.

[tags]Buy.com, electronics, weekly deals, sale[/tags]

Hey, guess what? We’ve got new pennies! The U.S. Mint released four new designs for the penny yesterday, in honor of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln penny. You won’t see them in your pocket anytime soon though. They are set to hit circulation on Feb. 12, 2009.

Abraham Lincoln grew up in a log cabin on the Sinking Spring Farm, in southeast Hardin County, Kentucky, now a part of LaRue County. He was the 16th president of the United States of America.

[tags]penny, U.S. Mint, Lincoln[/tags]

Friday night after the DPSVegas Photo Walk we headed over to the Mirage. Drew was on the guest list for the TechSet party hosted by Stephanie Agresta, and he invited Michael and I along as his guest. We also met Brett there in line with his friend who’s name escapes me now.

When we got up to the line we found out that Drew could only take one guest in, so Michael and I bowed out, and decided to just head home for the night. On our way out of the pool area we ran into Ted and David, so Ted took Michael as his guest, and David took me. WOO HOO! We were in the party at the Bare Pool Lounge. Bare is a topless adult pool only by day, but everyone had their tops on during the party to my husbands dismay.

I was looking at Stephanie and the dress she had on, and I realized it was the same one she wore at IZEAFest the week before, so I got to see her killer shoes that Colleen was raving about in person. They were pretty sweet shoes. HA!

I got to meet John Chow and his wife. They are really good people, and he is so fun to talk to. A lot more approachable than most of the people at the party. I also met Missy Ward when I tripped over her mobile chair and almost broke my leg. The funny thing about that is she was in a mobile chair because she broke her leg while Twittering. Seriously! See Worlds First Twitter Accident. She has a great sense of humor, and we both got a good laugh out of it.

Ted and David hung out with us for a little while until they were invited up into the VIP area. Then they left us peons sitting there like the C-List Bloggers we are. Before he left he did grab my camera off the table and starting snapping pictures. Oh and David did bring me a drink from the open bar. He was a good date.

We ran into Tony and Christa from Zappos, and we talked to Christa for awhile. I don’t know it it’s just me getting old or what, but it is so hard to carry on a conversation when you have to scream into someones ear so they can hear you over the music. I would have loved to talk to Christa more, but it was almost impossible. She is a really sweet and nice girl, and I hope we can stay in contact even though Michael isn’t working for Zappos anymore.

We sat and talked to Drew and Brett for most of the night. Brett and Michael came up with some pretty odd internet startup ideas that included roller skates, polar bears, toe socks, and Mr. Fab. Drew and I just shook our heads and blushed in embarrassment.

Overall it was a really fun party, and I drove my inebriated husband home. I didn’t sit there all night wishing I had taken diet pills for weeks before. I was comfortable and relaxed and had a good time.

[tags]Blog World Expo 2008, bwe08, TechSet, Bare Pool, Mirage[/tags]

The first adventure of Blog World Expo for me was going on the Digital Photography School PhotoWalk. I absolutely love photography, and I dream of being a famous photographer. The only problem with that is I just don’t have the skills, or the equipment, to do that. Luckily for me they let the point and shoot girl (me) follow them around and gawk at their amazing talent and equipment.

The photographers, the cameras, the lenses, oh my!

Drew was the original person that invited me on the Photo Walk. I’ve admired his photos for quite awhile now. One of my favorite shots by him is Harley – Adopted. She is a dog that was adopted from the North Attleboro Animal Shelter and this picture just radiates the unconditional love that an animal can give to a human being. The first time I saw this picture I cried.

This is my favorite shot of Drew that I got.

I followed around Darren Rowse and Robert Scoble staring stupidly at their cameras and dreaming of the day when I will have a Cannon EOS Rebel XSi slung around my neck shooting pictures like the big girls…or boys.

Of all the pictures that I took, which most turned out really poor, this would be my favorite one. I just love the blue along the edge and the colors that are reflecting in the water.

This is the only one of the Bellagio Fountains that I got that I thought turned out okay.

And to sum up my night of admiring these amazing photographers I got this shot of a few of them waiting for that one.perfect.shot.

I really did learn a lot from watching all these amazing photographers in action, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me tag along with you. I’ll make sure to send you all birthday invitations next year, so you can buy me a camera as a present. If you want to see more of the pictures from the Photo Walk, check them out DPSVegas.

[tags]Blog World Expo 2008, bwe08, DPSVegas, PhotoWalk[/tags]